Athlete Takes Gender Test

Caster Semenya, the South African winner of the world championship 800-meter sprint held in Berlin last August, was forced to take a gender test after speculations that she is a man. Unfortunately, these claims have been ‘shattering’ and have forced Semenya to become a recluse at Pretoria University.

Semenya rose from unknown teenage runner to the favorite in the 800m almost overnight. She took 1st place in the final beating the 2nd runner-up by a massive 2.45 seconds. But her dramatic improvement in times, muscular build and deep voice sparked speculation about her gender.

Usually in this situation, a gender test would be conducted before the competition, but because of the speed at which Semenya rose to fame, there simply wasn’t enough time.

Medals were given out at the ceremony, but the race remains under a cloud.

Before the race, IAAF spokesman Nick Davies stressed this is a “medical issue, not an issue of cheating.” He said the “extremely complex” testing has begun. The process requires a physical medical evaluation and includes reports from a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, internal medicine specialist and gender expert.

Adding more injury to insult, the Sydney Daily Telegraph is now claiming the tests have shown that Semenya has internal testes and no womb, claims which have been rejected by the Athletics South Africa (ASA) president.

The athletics boss Leonard Chuene said:

“The IAAF has issued a statement that said the case will come before the executive council in November where it will be decided…

“They told us this week that the tests are inconclusive and they could not give us the results just yet. So I really do not know where the Australia media got this latest one from.”

The IAAF has responded by urging caution over the reports. A statement read:

“The IAAF can state that statements in the Australian press should be treated with caution as they are not official statements by the IAAF:

“We have received the results from Germany, but they now need to be examined by a group of experts and we will not be in a position to speak to the athlete about them for at least a few weeks…

“After that, depending on the results, we will meet privately with the athlete to discuss further action.”